Can Roma Replicate PSG and Juventus Bets on the Transfer Market?

One year ago, the French side signed Neymar. Now Juventus brought home Ronaldo. Could Roma do the same?

In the recent years, the transfer market has evolved becoming a marketing tool to attract millions of followers and rich sponsors.

When in the summer 2017 Neymar Jr. decided to join PSG leaving the Spanish powerhouse Barcelona, football pundits and lovers of this sport believed it was a crazy choice not only for the player but for the French club as well. PSG invested €222 million to welcome the Brazilian top star but their bet is now bringing crazy profits in their coffers.

According to French outlet ‘Le Parisien’, PSG’s merchandising grew by 78% in the last 12 months. Even if the club has not been able to lift the much-awaited Champions League, the economic result of this investment is definitely positive.

Neymar’s arrival in Paris brought benefits in different areas of the business. Profits from the stadium have increased, and the social network accounts of the club have boomed in the first three months of his adventure at PSG, +3 million.

Brands like Unibet and Renault poured millions of dollars in the PSG coffers and, as reported by ‘Le Parisien’, Desports, a marketing agency, invested more than €20 million for the PSG sponsoring and licensing rights in China.

Nowadays, Juventus replicated PSG’s bet signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid. The bianconeri spent €100 million and are ready to pay €31m per season to the Portuguese phenomenon.

According to Italian outlet ‘TuttoSport’, the club of Turin has already sold 55,000 jerseys in just three weeks. Ronaldo brings high profits to his new club. Juventus has been able to sell two CR7‘s jersey per minute. The projection is that by the end of the season, the Italian giants can bank up to €65 million from the sale of Ronaldo’s jerseys.

The club of Turin will certainly attract other top sponsors over the years. The Juventus brand will be even stronger abroad where millions of football lovers will incessantly be following the gestures of the Portuguese star.

Can Roma replicate the PSG and Juventus bets on the transfer market?

It could, but not at this time. Although Pallotta and his group of investors are doing great, the first step to build a sustainable club is the construction of a new and profitable stadium. By doing so, Roma will be cashing more profits on a yearly basis being able to increase the salary cap of its players.

The second step, instead, should be that of purchasing a super player well-known around the world. A player able to make a difference not only on the field but on the marketing side as well.

A Messi kind of player but younger in order to make an investment able to bring top economic returns in the long run.

Although PSG and Juventus made a similar move signing a global star using him to drive profitable marketing strategies, the investment of the French side seemed to be more appropriate due to the age of Neymar Jr. PSG will be able to repay its investment in the Brazil international thanks to the enormous amount of sponsorships that Neymar brought to the Parisians. Moreover, PSG could also decide to sell the player redirecting its attention to other top stars if the might want.

Juventus, instead, signed a 33-year-old with no resell value but with an immense personal brand. In the near future, Cristiano Ronaldo could become less effective on the field and this could be a serious issue for an ambitious football club.